Portable computing devices, for example Portable Navigation Devices (PNDs) that include GPS (Global Positioning System) signal reception and processing functionality are well known and are widely employed as in-car or other vehicle navigation systems.
In general terms, a modern PND comprises a processor, memory and map data stored within said memory. The processor and memory cooperate to provide an execution environment in which a software operating system is typically established, and additionally it is commonplace for one or more additional software programs to be provided to enable the functionality of the PND to be controlled, and to provide various other functions.
Typically, these devices further comprise one or more input interfaces that allow a user to interact with and control the device, and one or more output interfaces by means of which information may be relayed to the user. Illustrative examples of output interfaces include a visual display and a speaker for audible output. Illustrative examples of input interfaces include one or more physical buttons to control on/off operation or other features of the device (which buttons need not necessarily be on the device itself but could be on a steering wheel if the device is built into a vehicle), and a microphone for detecting user speech. In one particular arrangement, the output interface display may be configured as a touch sensitive display (by means of a touch sensitive overlay or otherwise) additionally to provide an input interface by means of which a user can operate the device by touch.
Devices of this type will also often include one or more physical connector interfaces by means of which power and optionally data signals can be transmitted to and received from the device, and optionally one or more wireless transmitters/receivers to allow communication over cellular telecommunications and other signal and data networks, for example Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, GSM, UMTS and the like.
PNDs of this type also include a GPS antenna by means of which satellite-broadcast signals, including location data, can be received and subsequently processed to determine a current location of the device.
The PND may also include electronic gyroscopes and accelerometers which produce signals that can be processed to determine the current angular and linear acceleration, and in turn, and in conjunction with location information derived from the GPS signal, velocity and relative displacement of the device and thus the vehicle in which it is mounted. Typically, such features are most commonly provided in in-vehicle navigation systems, but may also be provided in PNDs if it is expedient to do so.
The utility of such PNDs is manifested primarily in their ability to determine a route between a first location (typically a start or current location) and a second location (typically a destination). These locations can be input by a user of the device, by any of a wide variety of different methods, for example by postcode, street name and house number, previously stored “well known” destinations (such as famous locations, municipal locations (such as sports grounds or swimming baths) or other points of interest), and favourite or recently visited destinations.
Typically, the PND is enabled by software for computing a “best” or “optimum” route between the start and destination address locations from the map data. A “best” or “optimum” route is determined on the basis of predetermined criteria and need not necessarily be the fastest or shortest route. The selection of the route along which to guide the driver can be very sophisticated, and the selected route may take into account existing, predicted and dynamically and/or wirelessly received traffic and road information, historical information about road speeds, and the driver's own preferences for the factors determining road choice (for example the driver may specify that the route should not include motorways or toll roads).
The device may continually monitor road and traffic conditions, and offer to or choose to change the route over which the remainder of the journey is to be made due to changed conditions. Real time traffic monitoring systems, based on various technologies (e.g. mobile phone data exchanges, fixed cameras, GPS fleet tracking), are being used to identify traffic delays and to feed the information into notification systems.
PNDs of this type may typically be mounted on the dashboard or windscreen of a vehicle, but may also be formed as part of an on-board computer of the vehicle radio or indeed as part of the control system of the vehicle itself. The navigation device may also be part of a hand-held system, such as a PDA (Portable Digital Assistant), a media player, a mobile telephone or the like, and in these cases, the normal functionality of the hand-held system is extended by means of the installation of software on the device to perform both route calculation and navigation along a calculated route.
Route planning and navigation functionality may also be provided by a desktop or mobile computing resource running appropriate software. For example, the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) provides an on-line route planning and navigation facility, which facility allows a user to enter a start point and a destination whereupon the server with which the user's computing resource is communicating calculates a route (aspects of which may be user specified), generates a map, and generates a set of exhaustive navigation instructions for guiding the user from the selected start point to the selected destination. The facility also provides for pseudo three-dimensional rendering of a calculated route, and route preview functionality which simulates a user travelling along the route and thereby provides the user with a preview of the calculated route.
In the context of a PND, once a route has been calculated, the user interacts with the navigation device to select the desired calculated route, optionally from a list of proposed routes. Optionally, the user may intervene in, or guide the route selection process, for example by specifying that certain routes, roads, locations or criteria are to be avoided or are mandatory for a particular journey. The route calculation aspect of the PND forms one primary function, and navigation along such a route is another primary function.
During navigation along a calculated route, it is usual for such PNDs to provide visual and/or audible instructions to guide the user along a chosen route to the end of that route, i.e. the desired destination. It is also usual for PNDs to display map information on-screen during the navigation, such information regularly being updated on-screen so that the map information displayed is representative of the current location of the device, and thus of the user or user's vehicle if the device is being used for in-vehicle navigation.
An icon displayed on-screen typically denotes the current device location, and is centred with the map information of current and surrounding roads in the vicinity of the current device location and other map features also being displayed. Additionally, navigation information may be displayed, optionally in a status bar above, below or to one side of the displayed map information, examples of navigation information include a distance to the next deviation from the current road required to be taken by the user, the nature of that deviation possibly being represented by a further icon suggestive of the particular type of deviation, for example a left or right turn. The navigation function also determines the content, duration and timing of audible instructions by means of which the user can be guided along the route. As can be appreciated a simple instruction such as “turn left in 100 m” requires significant processing and analysis. As previously mentioned, user interaction with the device may be by a touch screen, or additionally or alternately by steering column mounted remote control, by voice activation or by any other suitable method.
A further important function provided by the device is automatic route re-calculation in the event that: a user deviates from the previously calculated route during navigation (either by accident or intentionally); real-time traffic conditions dictate that an alternative route would be more expedient and the device is suitably enabled to recognize such conditions automatically, or if a user actively causes the device to perform route re-calculation for any reason.
It is also known to allow a route to be calculated with user defined criteria; for example, the user may prefer a scenic route to be calculated by the device, or may wish to avoid any roads on which traffic congestion is likely, expected or currently prevailing. The device software would then calculate various routes and weigh more favourably those that include along their route the highest number of points of interest (known as POIs) tagged as being for example of scenic beauty, or, using stored information indicative of prevailing traffic conditions on particular roads, order the calculated routes in terms of a level of likely congestion or delay on account thereof. Other POI-based and traffic information-based route calculation and navigation criteria are also possible.
Although the route calculation and navigation functions are fundamental to the overall utility of PNDs, it is possible to use the device purely for information display, or “free-driving”, in which only map information relevant to the current device location is displayed, and in which no route has been calculated and no navigation is currently being performed by the device. Such a mode of operation is often applicable when the user already knows the route along which it is desired to travel and does not require navigation assistance.
Devices of the type described above, for example the GO 930 Traffic model manufactured and supplied by TomTom International B.V., provide a reliable means for enabling users to navigate from one position to another. Such devices are of great utility when the user is not familiar with the route to the destination to which they are navigating.
As indicated above, one or more POIs can be selected by a user of the PND in respect of a journey to be embarked upon or during a journey. To select a POI prior to a commencement of a journey, a user typically negotiates a menu structure of a user interface of the PND in order to select a category of POI desired, for example a supermarket or a petrol station. The application software of the PND then identifies, using locally stored data, a number of POIs of the type selected by the user and presents the identified POIs to the user via the user interface. To assist the user, the application software typically orders the POIs identified by distance from a current location of the PND and indicates an associated distance value adjacent the POI listed. The user can then select one of the POIs identified by the user interface and the application software. In response to selection of one of the POIs, the application software either sets the POI selected as a waypoint or an ultimate destination and the PND then calculates a route either via the POI selected or to the POI selected, as appropriate. Of course, if the user is already en-route and the PND is already providing navigation assistance, the PND, integrates the POI chosen into an existing route calculated, for example by recalculating the existing route to take into account the selection made by the user.
On the whole, this technique works quite well and provides satisfactory results for the user. However, a disadvantage of this technique is that a user, wishing to navigate to or via a given point of interest, can arrive at the given point of interest at a time that is incompatible with operating hours of the given point of interest. For example, it is conceivable that a user being navigated to a restaurant, the restaurant being a selected point of interest, can arrive after the restaurant has closed. Hence, it can be seen that a temporal mismatch can occur between an arrival time and the operating hours of the point of interest. Presently, a centralised telephone enquiry service, where the user of the PND or other individual can place a telephone call and enquire as to operating times of a point of interest, does not exist. The user or another individual is therefore charged with the responsibility of determining the operating hours of the point of interest in other ways. In this respect, guesswork has to be employed or research undertaken into the operating hours, for example by telephoning the point of interest directly or using a research tool, such as an Internet search engine, in order to determine the operating hours, or rely upon memory and use a priori knowledge of the operating hours. Such enquiries can be made prior to departure or whilst en-route, but in both cases the user has to resort to a considerable amount of manual activity in order to obtain the information required from a third party. The user then has to estimate travel time using mental arithmetic, a PND or a website-based service in order to determine an arrival time. Overall, this process is typically time consuming, inconvenient and prone to inaccuracy. Furthermore, telephoning the point of interest relies upon someone being available to respond, and private research is not always successful and reliant upon the searching skills of an individual. Also, a priori knowledge is not always completely accurate and sometimes prone to imperfect recollection. This is particularly the case where a POI has varying opening times that are difficult to track in human memory. Similarly, research results are sometimes prone to error. Additionally, the information required may not be in a language with which the user is familiar.
Of course, the user may simply forget to obtain information relating to operating hours of the POI prior to departure and other portable electronic apparatus, for example a mobile telephone, may not be able to support Internet access and hence post-departure research. In any event, even if the user has wireless Internet access, the user nevertheless has to operate the mobile telephone or other wireless device in order to check the operating hours of the POI and to operate the PND in order to plan a route. Such convoluted activity requires time and effort and is not necessarily attractive to the user.